Blogs & Ecology

Combining sleek design, greener materials and extreme durability (we're talking like "spans the generations" durable), we liked the looks of Valcucine's new kitchen this past week at ICFF. The Italian kitchen designer, whom we've covered before, has replaced stainless steel and wood with glass while maintaining the idea that you (and your kids, and maybe even your grandkids) won't have to buy another kitchen. Ever.

As Mick almost said, We all need something to lean on, so Maruja Fuentes of San Juan, Puerto Rico, developed Leanwall for public spaces. It is composed of two molds made of recycled ABS plastic that are identically shaped. These pieces fit together like a puzzle. Together, they can transform a space, creating infinite patterns. They can be used either individually or in a composition. We are all in favour of anything that makes waiting for the bus more comfortable. ::Maruja Fuentes Studio
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Designer and occasional TreeHugger contributor Joey Roth brought his Sorapot to ICFF; we love it because it turns tea time into showtime. As Joey said in an earlier post: "I’ve always been entranced by small, beautiful things that are so detailed, they seem like miniature worlds, yet so ordinary they’re often left unnoticed. I designed Sorapot to emphasize one of my favorite- the unfurling of tea leaves."

We have shown the work of D.E. Sellers before, noting that he plays a CNC machine like a violin. His furniture is cut out of a single panel and fits together without nails or glue, and is a vision of a future where the work of good designers can be produced close to customers anywhere in the world. (See more of these at Treehugger in an Absolut World)

Patrick McGoohan would have put these everywhere in the Village, the remarkable Globus workstation that folds into a perfect orb. "The Globus will provide an inspiring working environment for today’s more flexible employee. At home and at the office." In fact it doesn't take up much less space folded up than it does when open, but Number Two would have been so much more effective had he had an actual work surface instead of just a chair.

LED Lighting just keeps getting better and cheaper. Koncept offered a 66-LED desktop unit two years ago; now they get more light and better color balance with just six. The price has dropped too, down to US$129. I am writing this post by the light of one, and can attest that the color is nice, the design effective and flexible, and it is cool as a cucumber. It is the 21st century version of my old Luxo- simple, well designed and affordable....

How Italian designer brothers Francesco and Marco Gillia ended up in Lima, Montana, is probably a story in itself, but there they are, opening Bottega Montana. This refers to the Renaissance concept of the Florentine Botega, where artists worked in close association with their students and trainees.

They have invented a unique (and patent-pending) fastener system so that their furniture can be easily assembled and dissasembled with only a mallet. Watch Francesco in action after the jump....

It was a bit out of place at ICFF, Lucy Renshaw's crafty "bespoke eco furniture and interiors." Her booth was an explosion of colour and old spoons, and, frankly, a nice break . Lucy is also bubbly and charming, and I am a complete sap for the accent.

Lucy "deliberately sets out to tackle environmental issues by working with recycled fabrics and reusing materials. She combines techniques of surface embellishment, embroidery and screen printing to produce imaginative and inspired interior products."...

TreeHugger has been a fan of Vancouver, B.C.-based Molo for some time now. We love the way their ingenious, honeycomb-inspired paper designs, like the softwall and softseating, creates structure you can sit on and full, modern forms from just paper

It is really quite silly. but I could not help but be charmed by Ximena Orozco and her Jacket Pillows, made from industrial wool felt. Ximena is co-founder and Creative Director of Urbanatics, "an independent design portal featuring unique, intelligent and expressive products," which looks like a very interesting source for good design from around the world.